Neser, recently awarded Sheffield Shield Player of the Season, has scored 311 runs at 51.83 and taken 19 wickets at 25.63 in the County Championship this year, cementing his status as a verified all-rounder. We’ve got that flexibility with them being over there.” “They can be added in at any time when new information comes to us. We usually pick four quicks for a home summer and we can add players in when we need and when we see fit. It is a bonus that they’re over there playing cricket.

“If Josh wasn’t tracking well for the World Test Championship final, we’ve got Michael and Sean over there ready to go. “There are some checkpoints where we will be able to select others and bring others in,” McDonald said. Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images Source: Getty Images 1 priority this winter, and the tourists will want Hazlewood as close to 100 per cent fitness as possible for the series opener at Edgbaston. Meanwhile, News Corp reports that Marsh has been nursing a minor adductor strain he sustained late in the IPL – although he’s expected to also be available for the WTC final.Īustralia is set to announce a 15-player squad for the WTC final later this week, and McDonald confirmed that Neser and Abbott could be called upon if selectors wanted to wrap Hazlewood and Marsh in cotton wool ahead of the Ashes.Īlthough Australia is desperate to win the coveted Test mace, retaining the Ashes remains the team’s No. “But it will have to go perfect for him to be part of that World Test Championship final and available.” “We knew when he went to the IPL that everything would have to go perfectly on the back of the Achilles setback in India, and at this stage everything is good,” Australian coach Andrew McDonald told SEN on Wednesday.

However, Cricket Australia confirmed Hazlewood was still considered “fit and available” for the WTC final after scans showed no damage. He missed the entire Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the first half of the IPL with an Achilles injury, making three appearances for the Royal Challengers Bangalore before his latest setback. The 32-year-old has been plagued by injury over the last 18 months, playing just three Tests since the start of the 2021/22 Ashes series.

Hazlewood, who hasn’t played red-ball cricket since January, recently returned to high-intensity bowling after flying home from the Indian Premier League early with “minor side soreness”. However, minor injury setbacks for Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh have opened the door for Neser to potentially make a surprise appearance in the WTC final squad.

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